Notice
by elizabethbane
Summary: She needs to redeem herself, but that doesn't mean he can't be there to save her. CoLu love. WARNING! RATED M FOR A REASON!


**IMPORTANT READ IMPORTANT: Okay, remember when Jackal was being a really big meanie by making Lucy choose between the Council-member-cat-person and the pregnant lady? This fic has a lot to do with that, even if it doesn't seem like it. So yeah, think about that.**

 **Warning: My writing is pretty sucky, so I'm sorry. Also, I have no idea why I wrote this, so the plot is also wacky. But I tried the best I could to make it something worth reading, so please enjoy!  
**

 **Disclaimer: Nothing but the story is mine.  
**

* * *

It was seven o'clock when Lucy woke to the sound of coffee brewing. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, birds were chirping, and it all looked like it would be a beautiful morning.  
Too bad she wasn't able to enjoy it because of the damn hangover from the night before. It was pounding in her skull as if a giant swarm of bees had found themselves trapped, and wished to get out. _Ouch. Okay, last time I **ever** accept a drinking challenge from Cana. _

"You always think that, and yet, you always end up being nice." _Wha?_ "Okay, Goldie, I went through all the trouble of buying new coffee and making it without any payback, so hurry up and drink it before I find Salamander and pour it over his head." _Ahh, Cobra._ She remembered that Crime Sorcerie had visited the night before, on some pretense of having things to discuss with Master Makarov. But the ulterior motive was quickly unearthed as Jellal and Erza took up a place in a dark corner, Angel pulled her sister, who had been visiting her fellow Celestial Mage, into a hug, Midnight found the stage was comfortable and if he slept there Gajeel wouldn't sing, and the others sat at the bar to socialize.

"Ahem.", a voice reminded Lucy that someone was still in the room, and that someone was growing impatient. She moved to get out of her bed, but soon discovered such actions just made her head even more queasy.

She looked at the man standing at her door, the question written across her face. "Ugh," he grumbled, but walked towards her, "why did I tell that demon I'd look after you?"  
"Because you were the only one not drunk enough to handle attackers and not try and grope me at the same time?" Oh, good. Comeback part of the brain still worked. She took the mug and pressed the rim to her lips, not noticing how the eyes of her companion darkened just a bit as the soft pink was pressed against the red ceramic. All the girl noticed was it was warm, tasty, and had something that made the bees pound less. "It's something your wacky spirit maid brought. She said it'd help the headache, as well as the nightmares."  
Oh, yeah, those things. The still occurring reliving memories turned horrific of the Tartarous battle. The most popular ones featured either Aquarius, Natsu, or another one of her teammates fading away while Lucy ran towards them. Often their parting words were along the lines of, "why Lucy? Are you so weak that you couldn't save me? Not even with your last few breaths? Not even with the Spirit King at your side? Come on Lucy, we all know you could've done better". It didn't always go like that, sometimes she was just stuck in the burning rubble that smelled like rotting flesh, or watching as she was torn to pieces that were just left in the dirt.

"Hey, Goldie. Non of that." Cobra nudged her again, for the tenth time, she realized from the beginning soreness in her shoulder.

"Why not? It's true, I am the weakest. I couldn't even save a civilian." she cast her eyes into the darkness of her drink, looking for the images in the hot rising steam.

Cobra noticed, and realized there was no way of getting the hungover blonde to think straight, that didn't mean he wouldn't give it one last try. "Yeah, sure Goldie. You're the weakest just like Popsicle and Scarlet are. Do you think they ever manage to save every single person? No, they don't, they're usually the ones putting innocents in danger in the first place by swinging giant hammers around."

Lucy smiled as the memory played through her mind of him almost crashing into a mountain from one of Erza's favorite weapons. It was a small smile, but a smile non the less. "I guess they are, aren't they. I was hoping t go on a mission with them today, but Natu's going to be trying to spend time with Yukino, and Erza mentioned going out for cake this afternoon. I could just go with Gray but. . ." neither mage felt the need to express what actions the guild's resident water mage would take to keep that event from happening.

Then Cobra had an idea. "Why don't you just take one by yourself?" She blinked at that, nearly dropping the long empty mug onto her comforter. Why _didn't_ she take one for herself? She was perfectly capable, but before the recent tragedies, Team Natsu had always done missions together and she never felt the need to do solo work. Maybe it was time for a change.

Lucy beamed at the maroon haired man, thanking him for the idea, "I think I will. It's high time I got to prove that Celestial Mages shouldn't be scoffed at." With that, she leapt out of bed and nearly ran to the shower.

The Dragon Slayer left standing by her bed watched the light go and knew that while this may help her gain her spark back, just doing solo work never led to good things with social stars like her. _'Too bad you can't help. Keeping your distance is the best way to not bring her down.'_

So, when his light emerged in a rush of steam, he took one more minute to memorize her image, then walked out the door and back to the place where he didn't love her, didn't even know her.

* * *

When Lucy got to the guild, the first thing she did was look for Natsu. While she wasn't going on a mission with the loveable arsonist, she still wanted to make sure he was okay after all the heavy drinking from the evening before. She found him still asleep on one of the tables, Yukino's cape clutched tightly. "I had to let him have it Lucy-sama." Lucy jumped, the other girl had snuck up on her. Yukino had been getting good at that, probably too many lessons from Meredy when Sorano visited Sabertooth.

"I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble trying to take it." Lucy reassured her friend, there wasn't a problem anyways, better someone else deal with drunk Natsu for once. Surprisingly though, Yukino blushed. "N-no trouble. I l-let him have it when we woke up this morning."  
"What?"

"W-well, um. . .you see. . .we both had a lot to drink last night and. . well. . .we fell asleep next to each other. Nothing happened, I promise!" the flustered girl waved her hands in front of her, like she was trying to erase any bad images from her words.

"It's okay, just as long as your sister doesn't find out."

"Find out _what_?" a shiver rushed up both girl's spines, and they slowly turned around mentally preparing for Angel's glare. Safe to say, they weren't ready for the pure demon power the feather loving woman could summon into one simple glance.

"N-nothing. . .I just lent my cloak to Natsu-san last night, seeing as he didn't really have any good way to s-stay warm."

Angel obviously didn't believe her sister, and just as she was about to voice it, Lucy escaped with, "Well, I'll let you two sort this out, gotta go talk to Mira, bye!" and ran to the bar. She could feel their stares at her back for a moment, but then heard the overprotective one sigh and got back to the argument of if Natsu had defiled the innocence of Yukino or not. Lucy was relieved to have gotten out of that fight, but should've realized that another one was waiting for her.

"Heeyy Luucyy. . ." Mira, otherwise known as the Demon Matchmaker from Hell appeared, making the second shudder of the day run up the poor mage's spine. "I saw Cobra take you home last night, anything you want to tell me hmm?"

Lucy flushed, and knew this was exactly how Yukino must have felt not five minutes before. "Uh. . .no Mira, all he did was walk me back to my apartment, we didn't do anything." ' _As far as I know at least, he could've defiled me in my drunken state, and I probably wouldn't have done anything about it. But then again, I probably wouldn't object to NO STOP LUCY! BAD LUCY!'_ she squashed her thoughts before anyone, particularly one-eyed snake loving soul listeners (who just so happened to be in a corner opposite her), had any idea of where her mind was going. Besides, none of those ideas had any real merit anyway, because Cobra didn't feel anything towards her. If anything, he probably hated what an inconvenience she could be.

But Mira was not a force that could be swayed that easily, especially not with her ships. "But he came in later than usual today, and his clothes didn't change, so he must have spent the night with you!"

"If you mean with me, as in the same apartment, then yes, but I swear, we didn't do anything like. . .that."

"Who didn't do anything like what?" a warm muscled arm draped across her shoulders, causing Lucy to jump and hit the offender, who after suffering this reaction multiple times, had unfortunately learned to dodge. "Who you talking about Luce?"

Lucy reviewed her options, A; tell Natsu and suffer the resulting teasing and/or him trying to fight the poison dragon slayer, or B; not tell him and try to avoid the subject until an option C appeared. She went with plan B saying, "No one you would really care about."

"Are you sure/ If you're fighting someone, I want to know so I can fight 'em too!" All mages within earshot sweat dropped. Did everything with Natsu revolve around fighting or eating? Apparently so. "Well Luce, want to go on a mission? I got one picked out already!" he held up a flyer with a suspiciously high reward that Lucy probably would've taken any other day if not for her plans to go alone, and the word MONSTER written across the top half of the page.

"I actually can't today Natsu, I've got an appointment," his shoulders slumped and she almost took it back, if she didn't seen the perfect opportunity in the silver haired girl whose cape he was still partly wearing. " _But_ I'm sure Yukino would _love_ to go with you! She hasn't taken one with you and Happy yet, besides maybe you three will have more fun then when it's just us.

His face brightened up at that and almost immediately turned around to grab the surprised girl's hand, "Come on Yukino! We've go to get going or we won't make it in time!"

"B-but. . ." she looked around for someone to help stop the pyro, but they were currently holding back her sister from tearing out the Fire dragon slayer's organs.

"Happy, you coming?"

"Aye!" and the three vanished out the guild doors.  
Lucy took the chance to go search the request board herself, hoping there was at least one job that wouldn't be too big for her and her spirits.

"Lucy, didn't you say you had an appointment today?" Mira asked from her spot behind the bar.

"I did, but that may have been an exaggeration," the blonde smiled. "I do have an appointment, one that I set myself. I'm taking a job alone today, now let's see what I find." _'Hmm. . .fighting a wyvern, that's a team thing. . .helping rebuild part of a city? That could be good, but wait. . .what's this?'_ The selected job was a slightly faded tan color, and the words were hard to make out.

 **Help Wanted!**

 **Please, save my daughter who was kidnapped by a group of bandits!**

 **They request a ransom of 10,000 jewel that must be paid in a week,**

 **we need a mage to deliver the money.**

 **Find Marria at Foxville pet store.**

 **Reward: 75,000 jewel**

Save someone's child, that was something she could do by herself, would probably be done in less than a day or so, and had just enough reward to cover her rent for the next month. She looked at the date it had been posted, it was five days before, which meant she only had two days to deliver the money. Quickly, she grabbed the paper from the board and ran to Mira smiling, "I'm taking this one!"

The take over mage started, then nodded, slightly glad that her friend was doing something on her own and not just with her destructive team. "Bye, Lucy! Be careful!"

"I will!" the blonde waved as she opened the doors and stepped out into the warm summer air, already turning in the direction of her apartment to pack.

* * *

He watched from his corner table as the light left, flyer for her temporary cure in hand. She had seemed happy in the time since she had arrived, but he could see in the very deepest depths of her warm cocoa eyes a hint of despair. Not so much that anyone else would notice, but just enough for him to be worried about what he heard from her soul.  
It was twisting and turning, waves crashing against rocks, and he'd had to listen to some of the other patrons of the bar for a minute to keep from being pulled in. She was trying to hide everything under her happiness, something he could understand, but not like. She wasn't supposed to do that. She was supposed to be the straight laced goody girl that everyone thought she was and get help, or at least try and get over the issues. To be fair, saving the child in the request would probably make up for not saving that pregnant woman a year and a half ago, but he knew she hadn't been calling on her spirits as often since then, just to avoid their hatred for killing one of their family. He had searched through her memories at that one and discovered they had been glaring, but not at her, at her idiot team members for no letting her recover from all she had suffered over the year they had been gone.

Anyone passing by at this point would've silently backed away, scared of startling the seemingly enraged dragon slayer. Which Freed did, because he had wanted to inquire on his new reading buddy's well being, and Cobra had been the one to take her home the night before.

* * *

Lucy had to say that the train ride was one of the better ones she'd had in a while. It had been so long since the year where she had been travelling alone, that she'd almost forgotten the feeling of not sharing a compartment with a sick person. Sure, the company was nicer than none, but once in a while a girl needs to not take care of a dragon slayer who keeps saying he'll throw up on her shoes.

Suddenly the train conductor's voice filled her cabin, "Now reaching the last stop, Foxville! All passengers please depart the train! Have a nice stay!"

Lucy grabbed her suitcase and walked with her fellow passengers into the midday sun. The town, she discovered, was nice and quaint with small, square buildings that were all partly covered in plants of some kind. Ivy, roses, grapes, and even one pea vine all climbed the stone walls and reached towards the sky, creating the most magical setting. She was slightly surprised that someone was bad enough to commit a crime in such a place, but she also figured it would be pretty easy. The people that were walking around mostly looked like farmers, craftsmen, or gardeners, not the kind of people you'd expect to find fighting.

She started walking along the street that looked to lead to the main square, surprised by the variety of shops she was seeing. Fruit, vegetables, wood carvings, and cakes all shared spots with blacksmiths, tailors, butchers, and glass blowers. No magic shops, but that didn't really matter. After what happened to Aquarius, how could Lucy expect herself to be able to make and look after new friends? She couldn't be trusted that way, not for a long while at least. . .if _ever_. So it wasn't time to go looking for keys, it was time to find the pet shop, wherever that was.

"Are you lost?" a soft voice spoke up behind her, causing Lucy to yelp. She turned, finding a small, but pretty, red headed woman smiling. "Rebecca can help you find a particular shop if you need, Rebecca knows all of them."

 _'Oh dear, another Juvia. . .'_ Lucy mentally cringed, but smile at the so called 'Rebecca' and told her about the pet store mystery. The lady smiled again and pointed out a small shop on the other side of the square. It was hard to see considering it was sandwiched between two larger buildings, but anyone could immediately tell what kind of shop it was from the large collection of birds sitting on the roof and the dogs leashed outside. Lucy nodded and almost said thank you, but discovered Rebecca had left while she was observing her destination. _'Huh,'_ she thought, _'she probably had better things to do though.'_ it's not like anyone would stop just to help one clueless mage.

Bringing herself back to the mission, Lucy shook her head and walked over to the shop. It was cramped with cages, boxes, and all manner of other containers, most holding any animal from an ordinary house cat to a translucent bird, that may or may not have had no organs, she didn't have time to check as a slightly exasperated voice called from further inside, "Oh, hello! I'm sorry-no! Don't bite! Gahh! Back here!" the startled mage twisted through a somewhat hazardous path around, under, and once _through_ the pets, and found herself in a small grassy space, right in the middle of the store! In it was a crouched green haired woman, who appeared to be trying to shove some form of wriggling mass into a cage. Lucy tried to offer help, but the woman, who most have been Marria refused each time.

"Ahh, there we go." she stood up and dusted herself off, then quickly took Lucy's hands saying, "I know that it seems weird for me to be doing anything other than trying to get my little LiLi back, but the pets bring in the money that I need you to pay the bandits. I'm Marria, and my daughter's captors contacted me yesterday, saying that they'll be at the top Fire Falls tomorrow morning to receive payment, and that if I don't deliver they're going to k-ki-k" she broke down crying.

"Shh." Lucy quieted the sobbing woman, gently rubbing her back and nodding, "I'll deliver the money, and LiLi and I will be back before lunch, you can count on that."

Sea blue eyes met her own, "Are you sure?'

"I promise. And a Celestial Mage never breaks her promises, that's a fact. Now please, tell me anything else you think I need to know." Marria nodded, pulled out a tissue, and began trusting the steller wizard.

* * *

Lucy walked down the forest path, her head down to hide from the wind. She had spent the past evening hoping against her own luck that her plan to get LiLi back to her mother would work, and the little girl would be safe and unharmed, unlike. . .the woman that Lucy should've saved eighteen months ago. She had a child too, one that would never get to experience life. . .all thanks to Lucy.

Shivering, she pulled her cloak closer, to possibly hide from the memory, but it would've never worked. Aquarius had paid her another visit last night, and even though Lucy had held onto the mermaid's tail, she was still tossed away like a small leaf, and forced to watch as her oldest friend was sucked into a vortex of gold and purple light. She had woken with a silent scream in her throat, and had spent the rest of the night trying to forget the haunted and betrayed look that had passed across the bluenette's face before she was turned into dust.

Her cold thoughts would've gone further if she hadn't run into someone. "Oh, sorry," she said while stepping back.

"It's okay sweetie, just hoping to get a better apology then that." a large hand tried to grab her, but Lucy dodged the man, and ran backwards a couple steps, noticing her attacker was dressed in light, but camouflaged, clothing. _'He must be one of the bandits I'm supposed to pay!'_ she realized, then quickly moved her hand to Loke and Virgo's keys, sending a silent message to get ready.

They warmed, just as the man grabbed for her again saying, "now we'll have _two_ little girls to get money for! And hey, we might just take the cash for you, and not leave anything behind!" He caught Lucy's waist, just as she opened Cancer's gate, and so the bandit was flung across the path with several scissor marks and several patches of missing hair. "So that's it, is it? _You're the mage?!_ No wonder that stupid woman doesn't think she can get her daughter back, it's her fault if she hired such a weak-ass witch!"

Lucy grabbed her whip, deciding to show this man just how weak she was, but when it hit near his head, the bastard just grabbed it out of thin air, and tugged it, and her, towards himself. "My name is Mayson girlie, and you're going to regret that later." he whispered, then hit her making everything go black.

* * *

The celestial mage woke to pain. Endless, endless pain.

Opening her eyes, she found herself naked, hanging from cuffs attacked to a hook in a brick ceiling. Her keys and whip were on another hook attached to the wall, and her clothes appeared to be part of the cause of her pain, considering they were a pile of still smoking ashes a couple of inches below her feet. Lucy struggled, knowing it wouldn't do anything, but trying anyway, just to make sure she still had strength. Nothing, except the man from before, Mayson, walking into the cell with a covered tray.

Were they going to feed her? It didn't seem like they would, unless these bandits liked killing people after watching them die from slow torture. Suddenly, Lucy realized she was in over her head. She should've been prepared for this, she should've had a plan, but no. She really was useless. Couldn't even save one little girl from a pack of bandits on a job that had almost straight out promised no fighting.

"Hey, blondie, stay awake! I don't feel I should have to force you to pay attention here!" the covering of the tray hit her face, stinging the burns already there. "Good, now let me see what we have for you on this lovely morning." Mayson showed her the objects inside the container, which included a scalpel, scissors, blow torch, along with numerous things she couldn't even name. "I think we'll start with your chest, how's that sound?" he lifted the scalpel, and she shivered.

He cut, she screamed.

* * *

Lucy had no idea how long it went on, but eventually it was too much. She screamed again, hoping against her luck that Loke would open his gate and help her, no matter how much she didn't deserve it, no matter how many times she had already wished for it, but no one came to her rescue. Everyone had finally abandoned her, and so she abandoned herself and the pain as she fell unconscious.

* * *

It was when her cell door burst open that she was able to regain her senses.

Lucy had been in and out of the world for the last few hours or days, she didn't know. All she did know, was that when she felt her cuffs being loosened, and a panicked breath in her ear, she wouldn't like what was coming. Panicking, when she was gently nestled into strong arms she thrashed and kicked, until, "shh, shh Lucy. It's okay Light, everything's going to be fine, trust me."

She didn't want to, but she did. Lucy knew that voice, and knew the owner would protect her. So she calmed, already having used up any remaining energy that wasn't helping her stay alive.

* * *

"There you go Light, it's all right." he repeated, making sure the blonde in his care didn't fall, into darkness or on the floor. He had know there was something up, and he had also know he shouldn't have let her leave without him no matter what good it might have done to her mind.

Sighing, he carried her sleeping form past the remnants of the mother and her child, the two who apparently had posed the request in the first place, just to get a chance at torturing whatever mage that had decided to take pity on them. He had done the same to them, only in far worse ways. The pair deserved everything he dished out and more, but his focus had always been on getting his Light back, and nothing could've gotten in his way.

* * *

Cobra watched the slumbering girl, who wounds already having been healed by her maid. The spirit had opened her gate herself, and after assuring the dragon slayer that it wouldn't harm the injured woman, had set on helping her master. He wasn't worried she'd hurt Lucy, just not ready for the stellar mage to wake up. They had a lot to talk about.

As if sensing his thoughts about her, the girl's warm cocoa eyes fluttered open and stared calmly around the clearing he had chosen as a camping site. When they rested on her rescuer though, she flinched, then smiled warmly like he was all she wanted to see at that moment. "Thank you," she half whispered, her voice still cracking.

"Don't thank me Goldie, I'm still a danger until your wounds heal."

"No you're not," she stated bluntly, her smile widening. She knew he wasn't a danger, he was her protector. If only she had known that before this mess. Then she could've asked him for protection, even if he said no.

"I would've never said that."

"Exactly. Cobra, we both know that no matter what, you'll always be there for me, even if you don't need to be." her eyes seemed to be holding all the stars in them with how bright they shined, until it went dim. "I-I know I'm not the best at handling, well any-" she didn't finish the sentence before his arms had wrapped around her, his clawed hand over her mouth.

"Don't you _dare_ finish that thought. You have never been useless Lucy, not to me at least. You're the one who first welcomed me to the guild, you're the one who helped me get over Kinana when she got married, you're the one that I can protect with my all, and trust you'll do the same. You're the one I-" he stopped, afraid of her reaction to his near confession.  
Her beautiful face was surprised, but slightly happy at the same time. Why would she be happy about someone like him loving her? Light didn't deserve to be smothered and hidden by death and darkness.

"It isn't about what I deserve." she spoke, her voice strong, but joyful. "It's about what I want, and Cobra I want you. All this time, I thought I was just being a good friend when you didn't have someone. I didn't notice that I was being more, that we were both. . .being more. I should've noticed it all before and saved us both all this trouble. I can't say it completely right now, because I'm so unsure of myself, but I promise you, I will move past this for you."

He was speechless. She had accepted him, his feelings, and herself, and even the fact that the had both waited far too long for this. In response, he buried his nose in her hair and picked her out of the sleeping bag. She may have not been ready completely, but that wouldn't stop him from not letting her go again. The woman would just get into trouble again, he was certain.

She laughed, and he dropped them both to the ground being careful of her wounds, the whole time muttering, "You noticed. You finally noticed."

* * *

 **Okay, that was hard, and I'm sorry it was so late for the people who are seeing the rest of this on WattPad. My bad.**

 **Also my bad, Cobra's major OOCness at the end, but well, I torture him so much that I felt he needed to be happy and smiley. So what?** **Thank you to Dragon's Host, who is so very wonderful for reading pieces of this and helping and just being plain wonderful. You're awesome.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please click the review button and tell me if my writing's gotten better from it's crap style last year, or just my romance. I don't write it often, and I don't have a lot of experience, so please!**

 **Hope to see you in CoLu week!**


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